Moa Point shows why critical infrastructure shouldn’t be outsourced
Saturday, 14 February 2026
Julie Anne Genter is the MP for Rongotai and Green Party spokesperson on infrastructure.
OPINION: Let’s not beat around the bush, or in this case - human waste. The disastrous collapse of Wellington’s wastewater treatment plant at Moa Point will have implications that will be felt for years, possibly decades, to come.
Likely implications include the harm and death of marine life, damage to our coastal environment, repair bills that will take years to pay, loss of confidence and reputational damage to our city. It’s heartbreaking for many Wellingtonians to be told they can’t swim or take their kids or dog to the beautiful south coast beaches in the peak of summer, or head out for a fish or dive.
And our human loss pales in comparison to the horrendous impact on the environment, as much marine life has no ability to avoid the pollution. It’s no wonder the Department of Conservation is “extremely concerned” about the impact of 70 million litres of untreated sewage being dumped into the sea a day. Our southern coast is home to so many taonga, from little blue penguins, sharks, seals, shellfish, and crays. Dolphins and whales are frequent visitors, especially near our marine reserve, Taputeranga.
Read More:
Wellington sewage spill: Shortfall in pipe funding identified in 2020
Wellington sewage spill: Why a closed-door inquiry won’t fix Moa Point
Wellington sewage spill: Mayor muzzles Wellington Water over sewage fiasco
We can do better, we have to do better.
Fingers have been pointed at previous councils for underfunding our wastewater infrastructure. However, the truth is that elected representatives have been at arm’s length from those asset management decisions for decades. This isn’t a failure of democratic foresight; it’s more likely a failure of the neoliberal model New Zealand embraced in the 1980s and 90s.
The Moa Point Treatment Plant was commissioned as a PPP; specifically, as a “design, build, operate” contract in the 1990s. A company (at the time British company, Anglian Water, which was eventually acquired by French multi-national Veolia) had a contract to design and build the plant and operate it for 20+ years. Around 2019 the contract with Veolia to operate the plant was renewed for 10 years, with Wellington Water responsible for managing the contract. But by 2021 serious concerns were raised about non-compliance. By 2024, Veolia were saying they couldn’t be compliant because of ageing assets, insufficient and failing equipment, and lack of capacity and redundancy.
Over the last 3 to 4 years Wellington City Council has significantly increased investment in wastewater infrastructure, including a significant upgrade to the Moa Point sludge plant. Indeed, it seems every time Wellington Water has asked Wellington City Council recently for funding, it has been approved.
You don’t need to be an expert to see that there has been a huge failure in the PPP model which has prevented Veolia, Wellington Water and elected representatives from getting the results the public and environment needs.
Obviously, we need answers which is why, as the MP for Rongotai, I’m supporting Mayor Andrew Little’s push for a government inquiry.
In my opinion, the most serious question we need to ask is whether it’s a good idea to have multinational, profit-seeking companies designing, building and operating critically important public assets like wastewater treatment plants. We need to ask ourselves whether we can completely outsource those roles, or whether we would be better to invest in having that kind of expertise in-house.
Is a contract with a global company, with resources (and no doubt a legal budget) dwarfing the council’s budget really the best way to ensure long term sustainability? When the local environment bears the cost of mismanagement, what recourse do the people who live here have against this multi-national behemoth?
It’s a question that Americans are asking too, after Veolia was accused of mismanaging wastewater there, Californians found themselves embroiled in costly and interminable court action.
We have an opportunity to reduce the impact on our infrastructure that’s tragically coming our way as a result of climate change. Yes, we need to invest in pipes and treatment capacity, but we also can make a real difference with green infrastructure, rainwater retention and greywater systems that take pressure off our wastewater system during heavy rain events.
We must do these things and more so that our people and our wildlife are protected from disasters like the Moa Point failure ever happening again.
Genter and Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul are hosting a public meeting on Moa Point on Monday, February 16, at Parrot Dog in Lyall Bay. Doors open 6.30pm, meeting starts at 7pm.